I supposed that's why she is also into politics, being diplomatic, tactful, it comes naturally to her, a woman of substance and intelligence.
Wow! Zhao YL got injured, and withdrew from Denmark open and French open. Losing last Denmark and French open titles points, Zhao/Zhang could step from from their world number 1 position which they got more than a year ago, and give "the world number 1" back to Xu/Ma.
Not injured. Inflammation and fever from exhaustion. Expected to be okay for China Open and Hong Kong Open. http://www.weibo.com/3425191924/Bszlgb0Bk?mod=weibotime#_rnd1414030865237
Two tournaments within two consecutive weeks with participation in one discipline seems to be the safe max. Make the participation into two disciplines, then you increase the probability of overtaxing your body, in particular if you are able to stay until much later stages in both camps, not just a happy goers of one or two first rounds. Zhao Yunlei may just be a good example of overtaxing the body and its consequences. From RedShuttle's link, here's Zhao Yunlei's own Weibo page: http://weibo.com/zhaoyunlei860905
If Zhang Nan is to concentrate on MD only, he needs to decide early next year, ie before Olympic qualification begins in early May 2015. Will ZYL retire before then? Can she participate in two different disciplines for two full Olympic cycles?
Congratulations to ZYL on her big 50! According Gill Clark, ZYL's XD victory at the HK Open was her 50th career title. With that, she is undoubtably one of the greatest players in the game. Being in the female game and part of the Chinese women's badminton dominance, her achievement may be overlooked. But she definitely left a gigantic mark in the history of badminton. I am proud to have noticed her talent since her coming out party at the 2008 Japan Open. Best wishes to ZYL for more great things to come! Here's how the big 50 unfolded: [video=youtube;D7biam7STuo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7biam7STuo&list=UUhh-akEbUM8_6ghGVnJd6cQ[/video]
Absolutely, Zhao Yunlei's award as the best female player of the year is long,long overdue - in my book, she is one of the greatest doubles player of all time already. I was actually toying with the idea that had she started as a singles player instead, with her intelligence, self-assertiveness, supreme confidence and steady character coupled with her tact and diplomacy - she might well become one of the all-time great women's singles player, possibly possessing all of Li Xuerui's strengths and none of her weaknesses which is mainly only one, that is her tendency to self-destruct under extreme self-induced pressure when burdened by the need to perform up to expectations in a major championship. But that's just wishful thinking, a counterfactual proposition on my part.
a golden year for Zhao Yunlei : World Champion in WD and XD World #1 in WD and XD Uber Cup champion 3 SSP titles (Indonesia, China, SS Finals) 5 SS titles (Korea, Japan, Australia, 2 HK) BWF Female Player of The Year
I am under the impression that most players in China start off training in singles and then convert to doubles much later.
Zhao YL will be 30 years old by the time of Rio Olympics 2016. I am starting to think it is best that she should choose either XD or WD within the next few months (ie, before the Olympic qualification starts in May 2015) and give up the other. If she sticks with both XD and WD for 6 years (ie, from 2010 till 2016) at such intensity, the chances of her sustaining some pretty serious injuries before August 2016 are high.
I tend to agree that for Zhao Yunlei to play both XD and WD extensively and often advancing to the finals or penultimate rounds for both events in the same tournament is beginning to take a toll on her in terms of performance in either one event or both as well as increasing her risks of injury. Right, for the Rio Olympic cycle, it's much better for her to choose either discipline to concentrate on and I'd prefer she goes for XD, mainly because she's doing better in it, and after all CHN has no lack of WD talents.
